Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Mo Ka Forest

A primeval forest meant insects—lots of them. And this was an alien primeval forest.

To keep poisonous, bloodsucking bugs from slipping into her clothes when she wasn’t paying attention, Ling Mo wrapped tape around the gaps at her ankles and wrists.

As soon as she finished, the system’s familiar chime sounded in her ear.

The system announced, “Dear players, the third game round is about to begin. Please prepare.”

“3… 2… 1…”

The moment the countdown ended, Ling Mo’s vision went black. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing beneath a canopy so dense it blotted out the sky.

Compared to the scorching heat of Blue Star, the temperature here was downright pleasant. Ling Mo let out a long, satisfied breath.

Not having to trudge under a blazing sun felt incredible. If she had the choice, she didn’t want to leave.

Around the lake, ancient trees towered in every direction. Each trunk was wider than she was, and their crowns interlocked overhead, letting sunlight in only as thin, scattered beams through the leaves.

Nearby, most of the other players had prepared early, thanks to her warning. Only a small number looked like they’d been caught off guard—either they hadn’t prepared, or the game had started too abruptly.

They wore all kinds of short sleeves. Some were even shirtless.

Ling Mo was about to wait for the game to assign the mission when a sharp, choking fragrance drifted past her.

She turned and saw a round-faced girl in a white dress standing only three steps away.

Strangely, not a single person dared approach within three meters of her.

Ling Mo quietly backed away as well. The harsh smell was one reason, but in a forest, any distinctive scent could give away your position. No one knew what kind of danger might be lurking here.

A primeval forest this massive couldn’t possibly be without predators.

Then the system spoke again.

“Hello, players. Welcome to the final dungeon of the novice instance—Mo Ka Forest.”

“Mo Ka Star’s Mo Ka Primeval Forest, an undeveloped planet, is hailed as a treasure vault of primeval forests. Countless delicacies grow here, drawing endless admiration and pursuit.”

“Mo Ka Restaurant, a star-rated restaurant that sells itself on Mo Ka Forest ingredients, sources every food and drink on its menu from Mo Ka Forest.”

“Next, players, enter Mo Ka Primeval Forest and collect ingredients. Duration: seven days.”

“The rarer the ingredient, the higher the points. Players, accumulate points.”

As the announcement ended, a delicate vegetable basket appeared in everyone’s hands.

Ling Mo was already used to this. She gave the area a quick sweep, picked a direction, and headed out.

Behind her, someone shouted, “System! You still haven’t said how we’re supposed to eat!”

The first two rounds had provided meals. They’d even provided lodging. This time, aside from a single vegetable basket, they’d gotten nothing.

For the players who’d entered the game expecting a good meal, the change was hard to swallow.

Once that first person yelled, others snapped to attention and joined in.

Seven days. That long meant food and water were non-negotiable—especially water. Without it, a person couldn’t even last three days.

But no matter how loudly they shouted, the system gave no response. The message was clear: solve it yourselves.

Third game round had originally been designed much like the first two. But some people had mocked it for being too easy, for having no challenge at all.

Since they didn’t want an easy clear, the game was happy to oblige.

Far ahead, Ling Mo felt nothing but relief. At least she had pocket space—and she’d prepared thoroughly.

Unlike everyone else, she didn’t need to waste precious time hunting for something edible. Their mission was to collect ingredients, but who could guarantee any of those could be eaten raw?

The moment she learned the third game’s location was Mo Ka Primeval Forest, she’d searched for information on her learning machine and familiarized herself with the flora and fauna here.

Just like the system said, this place really did deserve to be called a treasure vault.

She’d also searched what energy rawstone was, only to get a frustratingly vague answer: a primitive energy stone containing enormous power.

In the early days of Interstellar’s development, energy stone like this had been widely used as fuel.

But after reckless, unchecked mining, energy rawstone gradually disappeared. Interstellar had been forced to search for alternatives—thankfully, they’d found one in the end.

Ling Mo didn’t know why the system wanted energy rawstone, but if Interstellar had once used it as a power source, it had to be valuable.

With that thought, she quickened her pace. This round was a straight race—whoever earned the most points won.

The fastest way to earn points was either quantity or quality.

Ling Mo preferred quality. She still had to set aside time to hunt energy rawstone, after all.

Besides what she owed the system, she wanted to gather more if she could. It never hurt to have reserves.

Relying on what she’d learned about Mo Ka Forest, she found her first harvest quickly.

Termite mushroom—fungus that grew on termite mounds, known for its delicious flavor.

Blue Star had termite mushroom too, but compared to the one in front of her, those were laughable.

She shoved the enormous termite mushroom into the vegetable basket. The score display on the handle jumped from 0 to 10 in an instant.

Ten points for a single mushroom.

Not long after, Ling Mo reached a stream. A place like this should have fish, right?

She swept it with her mental power and sensed plenty of living things in the water.

But when she looked with her eyes, she saw nothing. Just stones.

She pulled out a fishing net and set a simple trap upstream.

Once the trap was in place, she noticed a pebble near the bank—a vivid, saturated blue.

Sapphire?

She’d been collecting gemstones all over the world lately, and that color made her think of sapphire on instinct. But up close, it didn’t quite match.

She took out her learning machine and scanned it.

“Water-Chilling Stone: a mineral found only in pure streams. Specialty of Mo Ka Star. The temperature within a ten-meter radius will continue to drop, but the water will not freeze. Duration: approximately half a month. After half a month, soaking it in a clean water source will restore it. Not recommended for personal carry—risk of frostbite.”

Ling Mo stared at the stone in her hand, eyes widening.